


Empty Words

by rikujo (helphiddlestoned)



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Countries Using Human Names, Historical Hetalia, M/M, PrUK Secret Santa, Rated for swearing, Set in 1947, better safe than sorry, like one swearword but still
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 16:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9080215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helphiddlestoned/pseuds/rikujo
Summary: Dissolution: The action of formally ending or dismissing an assembly, partnership, or official body.There are a thousand places Gilbert would rather be, but an encounter with a familiar face might at least be a good distraction.
Secret Santa Prompt: End of WWII dissolution of Prussia and conversations had between England and Prussia.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I had to pick the least cheerful prompt from the list, didn't I?  
> This is my PrUk Secret Santa for @oshhosh, so I hope you like it!  
> I'm a history nerd so I set this in the Kammergericht Building, which was once the Prussian Supreme Court and later the home of the Allied Control Council in Berlin once WWII ended.   
> The Allied Control Council made Law No. 46 i.e. the law that de facto wrote Prussia out of existence.  
> If you wish to see what it looks like, you can go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kammergericht  
> I promise this is not as angsty as it might first appear.

Gilbert stood at the base of the steps in front of the stone façade and stared up at the grand building stretching long before him. He knew the imposing, pale stone, the columns and the carvings, and the terracotta tiles of the lengthy, two tiered roof well by now. His eyes drifted upwards, to where the main hall jutted out from the rest of the building and its roof formed the sharp point of a triangle, and he idly missed the tower that had once sat atop it before the war, reaching into the sky.

He wouldn’t have minded something to kick right about then.

Something to assuage the gently thrumming headache he’d had for the last few months wouldn’t have gone amiss either.

He had nothing though, so instead he made himself step forward to enter the central set of the three pairs of double doors. There was something ironic in being summoned to his own Supreme Court building, he thought.

Except that it wasn’t his anymore, was it, he mused as he pressed down the handles and swung open the doors. No, it wasn’t his, because he didn’t technically _exist_ anymore. By the end of the day it was going to be official, drawn up in treaties and all.

He shut the doors with a sharp snap behind him, leaving the sound to echo through the cavernous entryway, and shoved his hands in his pockets as he faced the towering space.

It never stopped being impressive.

The huge archways leading off to other rooms around him were only the beginning of the grandeur in the circular space, what with the steps sweeping down ahead of him and the balconies of the next three floors visible all around. It was still the statement of wealth it had been when it was built in 1913 and yet here he was, not fifty years later, and everything was irrevocably changed.

He found himself scowling as he made for the staircase and trudged up the steps, his footsteps jarringly loud in the quiet building. When he reached the top he took an immediate right to take him away from the opulent space, darting through the first tall door on his left when he could.

Here there were voices, at last, muffled and behind the many closed doors of the corridor he’d entered, but most certainly there. He wondered how many nations were lurking around.

He walked purposefully down the corridor, inwardly counting off the doors on the left as they passed, until he came to the sixth one. He pulled up before it, brows furrowed as he took in the dark wood, knowing officials were waiting behind it, paperwork was already being circulated, and his fate was going to be finally sealed.

He sighed tiredly and went to twist the doorknob, but just then there was the click of another door opening and he glanced back down the corridor to see a familiar face stepping out.

Blonde hair choppy as always, green gaze hardened fiercely as he frowned, Arthur looked no different to normal, but his presence made Gilbert still.

The last time he’d seen the Brit it had been at the trials and Arthur’s face had been shudderingly impassive as he watched proceedings with cold eyes. Before that, it had been on a battlefield. 

Arthur’s eyes skirted down the corridor, catching sight of him, and the Englishman slowed to a stop as his hand fell away from the doorknob. Gilbert stared back at him as their eyes caught, half itching to throw open the door and leave immediately, but he didn’t move.

Then Arthur nodded to him, just once, shallowly, and he paused.

It took him a second to nod back but then he let his had slip from the doorknob and turned to face the Englishman properly.

“Morning,” he offered, choosing English rather deliberately.

“Yes, good morning.” Arthur returned, stepping away from the door and Gilbert forced any surprise back from his face as Arthur strolled towards him. They stood in brief silence as Arthur halted, sliding his hands into his pockets. “…How are you?” the brit asked at last.

Unable to resist, Gilbert tossed him an unimpressed look. “I’m just peachy.” He said sarcastically and Arthur sighed slightly irritably in response.

“I was a fool to expect a serious answer, clearly.” Arthur replied crisply, shaking his head.

“Do you honestly want one?”

“Maybe I do.” Arthur protested staunchly, but Gilbert just shook his head. “I take it you’re here for the signing?” he went on, inkling his head towards the door.

“Yeah, not that they technically require my signature, just my presence.” He said, not even caring that the words came out embittered.

“I see.”

They considered one another for a long moment until a distant voice lifted from behind one of the doors, coming closing, and drew both their gazes before their eyes darted back to one another.

“Perhaps a walk before the meeting?” Arthur suggested, deceptively lightly.

A tiny huff of surprise passing his lips, Gilbert nodded.

“I’ve got time.” he agreed, turning on his heel and starting down the corridor, Arthur following. He probably didn’t have time in reality but for once he didn’t look to his watch. “I didn’t know you were here.” he added as they strolled down the hall. Arthur shrugged beside him.

“I’ve been in Berlin a great deal recently.” Arthur said simply.

“Guess no-one has to tell me about any of that boring, official crap anymore, huh?” Gilbert returned, bright and brash as he could manage, but the realisation still made his teeth grit.

Arthur glanced across at him a little too knowingly, so he carefully didn’t meet the Brit’s eyes as they turned the corner at the end of the corridor, continuing down the next.

“…Yes, I’m sure you’re pleased by the decrease in paperwork if nothing else.”

That was too much, even for him, and Gilbert swung to glare at the Englishman.

“Ja, I’m being written out of existence, you lot have carved up Berlin and settled in, and what I really care about is the paperwork, Artie.” He bit out.

Arthur couldn’t quite hide his wince and they both drew to a stop in the middle of the corridor.

“You’re the one that said it.” Arthur defended. “I was only going along with it.”

“You’re not really the one I want to hear it from.”

Arthur bristled. “I suppose because this is all _my_ fault, is that it?” he asked tersely, before scoffing, shaking his head. “Please, we both know this started long ago – as long ago as the unification.”

“Oh so it’s my _own_ fault?” Gilbert said pointedly, raising an eyebrow.

Arthur’s lips became a thin line. “That’s not what I said, but I told you back then you were making a mistake with the whole unification nonsense.” Arthur muttered shortly. “All that effort for a self-destructive idea – I said it would only be trouble.”

“You and Francis both,” Gilbert returned with a wry smile and a roll of his eyes before continuing. “I stand by it, even with everything that followed.”

“Even though ultimately his strength is to mean your destruction?” Arthur countered quietly.

Gilbert half wished he’d shouted. Loud words spoken in anger were easy to brush off. Instead they burrowed into his head and made themselves at home, one more piece of gentle poison.

“It was right. You only disliked it because you were worried he’d be stronger than you.” A muscle in Arthur’s jaw clenched momentarily as they drew to a stop at the end of the corridor. “I would do it again…just a shame this is where it lead to.” He finished with a frown.

“But see you started it—you unified him—you may as well have strangled yourself with your own hands.” Arthur snapped, frustration suddenly bubbling over.

“Yeah, but it’s you that’s putting the nail in the coffin, isn’t it.” Gilbert shot back.

“Don’t you dare,” Arthur growled, facing him sharply. “Don’t you _dare_ say that, after all these years, with all that we are as nations, you know that personally I would _never_ have—”

Arthur cut off abruptly, pursing his lips, and he shook his head as Gilbert’s eyebrows lifted. The brit’s eyes darted away.

“Care now, do you?” Gilbert retorted, not quite succeeding in keeping the bitter edge from his voice.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed but the Englishman still didn’t look at him.

“Is your mind failing you in this mess?” Arthur replied coolly. “We have been allies in the past, among other things. Shockingly I do not desire your destruction.”

“You could have fooled me these past few years.”

“War is war.” Arthur justified firmly, that green gaze at last returning to his own. “And you started it.” Arthur reminded him.

Gilbert said nothing for a long moment but then shrugged.

“Technically Luddy started it.” he muttered.

“And you were right there at his shoulder, marching into Poland and France.”

Gilbert grimaced. “Alright, yeah, I fucking get it…how is Francis?” he added as an afterthought.

Arthur paused. “…he could be better.”

Gilbert’s smile felt forced even to him. “Bet he’s not feeling quite so friendly towards me, huh? It’s his lot that are vying for my head.” He commented.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean he agrees.” Arthur objected, but he didn’t say which way Francis’s personal opinion fell either.

Gilbert’s eyes drifted back towards the other corridor. “He’s here too, I take it?”

Arthur nodded. “We’ve all got to sign.”

“Great,” he quipped darkly. “They’ll be so many familiar names on my death certificate.”

Arthur’s brows furrowed. “It’s not necessarily a death certificate.”

Gilbert scoffed. “What else could a dissolution order be? It’s not the easiest thing to have a positive outlook on, Arthur.”

“Poland survived.” Arthur pointed out.

Gilbert scoffed. “Yeah, but that was different. There wasn’t even an official dissolution and there were still years at a time where none of us saw him—he can be fucking stubborn too.”

An almost smile twitched at the edge of Arthur’s mouth.

“Are you trying to tell me that you’re _not_ stubborn?” he asked dryly.

Gilbert shook his head. “I don’t think it matters how stubborn I am this time.” he muttered. He glanced away towards the tall window at the end of the corridor and shrugged. “Maybe I’ll persuade Luddy to do something awesome every year on the anniversary though.”

“People still consider themselves Prussian.” Arthur pointed out. “There’s no piece of paper, no matter how many signatures are on it, that can change that. We both know that’s what really matters, Gilbert.” When Gilbert looked back at him, the brit’s expression was set seriously. “Until there’s not a single person to consider themselves Prussian, even in heritage, you’ll be here.”

“You seem pretty certain about that.”

“…Great powers do not vanish so easily.”

A quick grin split Gilbert’s lips. “Complimenting me are you now, Artie? Is it genuine or is it to assuage the guilt?” he added swiftly.

Arthur’s lips pursed. “I do not have guilt.” He denied. “This war is a list of countless atrocities and while personally and privately you may have disagreed, they still happened on your watch.”

Gilbert frowned and opened his mouth to sharply ask Arthur if he knew what a resistance movement was and why no-one had been able to contact him for months before the end of the war, but then he closed it again. Any blame that he didn’t take only settled firmly on Ludwig’s shoulders.

“Fine, no guilt.” He allowed instead.

There was a moment of silence where they watched each other, carefully considering, before Arthur shifted slightly, deliberately catching his eyes.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry it turned out like this.” Arthur offered quietly.

Gilbert chuckled humourlessly. “You were always good at pretty words—they don’t help me now.”

“I was _trying_ to remain on civil ground.”

Gilbert raised his eyebrows at the blonde. “Is there a civil ground at this point? Every conversation is a minefield these days.”

“And yet you agreed to walk with me.” Arthur uttered, drawing him up short.

Gilbert pulled a face. “Maybe I don’t dislike you as much as the others right now.” He muttered.

Arthur hummed. “Colour me intrigued,” he murmured. “Who do you dislike the most?”

“I’m staying as far away from Ivan as is physically possible in one room. If I have to speak to that asshole for two seconds it will be too long.” He ground out, his eyes narrowing.

“…I should be grateful then.” Arthur acknowledged. “To be perfectly honest, I was expecting nothing but silence and glares from you today.”

Gilbert shrugged tiredly. “What’s the point? The war’s over and I never agreed with it in the first place. Hell, the last time I saw you before all this it was to take a tame boating trip down the Wannsee.” He rolled his eyes. “That was hardly filled with animosity, Liebling.” The corner of Arthur’s lips turned up into a smile and Gilbert blinked. “What?”

Arthur shook his head, chuckling softly. “Of course you didn’t notice—it’s been a long time since you’ve called me that.” he clarified.

Gilbert frowned for a split second before he realised what he’d said. “Oh,” He let out a short laugh. “Well, old habits die hard, right?”

Arthur nodded. “Indeed…It’s a pity you ever stopped, really.” He said casually, eyes drifting away to the window. “I must say I grew rather fond of it.”

“Well maybe I’ll pick it back up…We should go down the Wannsee again sometime.” He suggested, recalling the way Arthur had laughed as they’d looked out over the river. He tilted his head. “Minus the boring political talk this time.”

“Oh it was hardly boring the first time. You gave me quite the pleasant goodbye that day, after all.” Arthur recounted, catching his eyes.

Gilbert rolled his bottom lips between his teeth, shaking his head, and let out a quiet chuckle.

“You don’t think that’s dangerous ground to be reminiscing on, Liebling?” he questioned.

Arthur lifted and dropped one shoulder. “That depends entirely on your reaction…do you remember it?” he continued quietly.

Gilbert arched an eyebrow, holding the brit’s gaze. “Do I remember kissing you until we were both breathless? Yeah, things like that don’t really fade, Artie.”

“Hm, I was merely wondering if your memory needed refreshing.”

“Are you offering?”

Silence sang between them as they gazed at one another, neither of them shying away, and Gilbert waited to see if Arthur would reply.

The brit said nothing but then, just when Gilbert was beginning to think he would dismiss the whole thing, Arthur stepped forward and smothered the distance between them.

He grasped at Gilbert’s hips, leant forward and kissed him.

Gilbert couldn’t summon surprise, but they both inhaled sharply as their lips met, and he responded almost instinctively, kissing Arthur wholeheartedly in return as his eyes drifted closed.

He leant into the heated press of lips, a familiar spark of anticipation skittering down his spine, and wondered how long it had been since they’d last done this.

Reaching out, he grabbed at Arthur's collar, hauling him closer, and deepened the kiss. He parted his lips, leading Arthur to do the same as their mouths moved together. Then Arthur’s tongue slid, warm, between his lips and into his mouth.

A small noise of approval lifting from his throat, Gilbert let his hands slip from Arthur’s collar onto his neck, cupping the Brit’s jaw as he met Arthur’s tongue with his own.

He felt Arthur’s grip tighten on his hips and pushed down a grin as Arthur pulled him closer still.

He indulged himself, tasting Arthur’s mouth in return as he brushed a thumb along the Englishman’s jawline, and savoured the tiny groan Arthur gave in response.

Eventually though, they were forced to pull away, drawing back from the kiss to breathe. Opening his eyes once more, Gilbert found himself caught on Arthur’s half-lidded gaze, that green shining.

“Been a while since you’re done that.” he remarked breathlessly against Arthur’s lips.

“…well I don’t know when I’ll get the chance to do it again.” Arthur murmured.

Gilbert swallowed, silently knowing that Arthur’s ‘when’ really meant ‘if’. Nothing was certain now, after all. But he could think of better times to contemplate his new reality.

“I have an idea.” He muttered, hastily discarding the topic. “Let’s _not_ talk about that.” Then he erased the miniscule distance between them once more and planted another kiss on the brit.

Their lips slid over each other, drawing them both into the warmth of the kiss, but the urgency of before seemed to melt away as Arthur’s arm slipped round his waist and he let his fingers smooth back across Arthur’s neck and into his hair.

For a moment, Arthur’s tongue traced across his bottom lip, but the kiss remained slower, sweeter than the last, both of them leaning into one another as it drew out between them.

Gilbert let himself sink into it. They stayed tangled together, unhurried in the movement of their lips.

Then the kiss broke just barely, both of them staying close enough for their lips to brush gently, and two more fleeting kisses passed between them – warm and close lipped – before Gilbert distantly realised that they were both meant to be doing something far less pleasurable.

He leant back, glimpsing Arthur’s open expression for that split second, but then Gilbert shook his head minutely. Arthur's gaze hardened and the brit leant away, clearing his throat carefully.

Their hands slowly slipped away, both of them taking a measured step back. They stood opposite one another for a drawn out moment before Gilbert glanced at his watch, frowning as he sighed.  

“I’m really late.” he observed.

“They’ll forgive you this once, I’m sure.” Arthur tried, but Gilbert just scoffed, shaking his head.

“Unlikely, Liebling, but it’s not like they can do any worse than they’re already going to.”

Arthur’s eyebrows drew together as he slid his hands into his pockets. “I’ll walk with you.” He offered after a moment.

Gilbert managed a half smile, starting back down the corridor. “Sure.”

Silently, Arthur fell into step beside him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave Kudos if you enjoyed it. 
> 
> History Notes:  
> \- There really was a trip down the Wannsee River in Berlin, made by British and Prussian Politicians in 1931. See here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-12081,_Berlin,_Ausflug_deutscher_und_englischer_Politiker.jpg  
> \- Representatives (Generals, in fact) from the USA, The United Kingdom, the then Soviet Union and France all had to sign the Law No. 46 and Prussia was formally abolished on February 25th 1947.  
> \- For those that don't know any European History, Poland basically vanished for a long period of time as it was partitioned by the countries surrounding it, it's lands divided between them, which is what they're referring to.  
> \- The 'You and Francis both' quip is a reference to the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. France did not want a unified Germany, fearing that it would be too powerful, and so fought to stop it, and lost spectacularly. 
> 
> If you'd like to talk to me about Hetalia, I'm at anglaisaph on tumblr.


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